Repainting an Old Coffee Farm

Plenty of space.

 5am sunrise from the front porch.

OK, OK, I know an update is long overdue. Blame lack of internet, lack of time, an awesome ride in our new finca, yada yada. In fact the only reason I can write this quick update is that I'm in San Jose at a hotel with wifi waiting for the fine folks at Mahindra to install a new transmission in our new truck, but that's another story.

Since early June we've been living on our finca in the old cabina, and we've repurposed the other "structure" into a kitchen and storage room. Yup, this is primitive living folks, and I was more than a little worried about putting ourselves into this situation. On the other hand commuting from town was a LOT of work and was clearly not sustainable.

I'm glad to report that this new life seems to be working for us, and bit by bit we have been able to make our place more comfortable and functional. No internet though, hence our incommunicado status which you may have noticed.  So basically we're living in two shacks with an outhouse.

The rainy season has arrived again in fresh intensity which will last until December. But almost every morning is clear and crisp, about 17-18 C (63-65 F) with afternoons in the high 70's or low 80's. As evening approaches the misty clouds flow up the valley or descend from the ridge, mesmerizing and engulfing us in pea-soup, only to dissipate as ghostly pink wisps that float on the ridges and mountaintops at sunset.  We're just below the cloud forest elevation, thank God, though frequently we find ourselves within it.

This place serves up huge helpings of beauty and peace every day. It also surprises and challenges us with shocking regularity and gusto. We have been through so much in the last 2 months I know I can't possibly remember all our blessings and thunderbolts, but I will always remember ...

The grace of receiving gifts of plants from our workers, sharing food, and being jolly comrades.

Accidentally backing the truck off our lower road and being towed out by our good neighbor.

Waking at midnite to the sound of an escaped cattle herd (20 of them) that decided to bed down in our front yard.

Looking into their vapid faces and realizing they were having a fun adventure.
Trying to decide what to do.

The cops and robbers cartoon; us chasing that herd off the property so many times that night and the next morning.

Feeling our house-bat's wings brush by while peeing in the bucket at midnite.

Watching the sky light up like a giant welder is just behind the ridge, while peeing in the bucket at midnite.

Having to pee in a bucket at midnite.

Losing water pressure and discovering a dead snake had plugged a valve up at the spring - 
and another one made it into the water tank days before.
No water to drink, no showers this week.
Learning the value of bleach.
Discovering that the earth around our spring is an ecosystem alive with snakes, crabs, insects, and worms.
Trying to decide what to do.

Shoveling tons of wood, soil, and rock away from our spring with the help of our neighbors.

Having a 4 ton rock slide down on top of one of our springs.
Not over-reacting to that.
With our neighbor, designing and building a water system that screens out snakes and settles out sand.
Right after the water was usable again, 
our coffee tree-cutter-downer cut the water line 
from the spring.

Wearing rubber boots to keep our feet from getting muddy & to feel safer from snakes.

Tracking mud into our living quarters.
Trying to decide what to do.

Hauling pea gravel up to lay nice clean sidewalks 
and patio areas.

Tracking pea gravel into our living quarters.
Sweeping.

Wanting to install electrical service after months of candle light dinners and dead phone and computers.

Getting quotes ranging from $600 to $3500.
Trying to decide what to do.

Going with the low bidder 
- the guy that lives down the road.
Replacing some faulty yet new components of above-mentioned electrical service.
Losing all electrical service one evening.
Waking to find a mama sloth electrocuted 
at the base of one of our power line poles.
Trying to decide what to do.
Laying her reverently to rest 
at the base of a large cedro tree.
Naming the road by her Calle Perica (sloth).

Seeing our neighbor's house inundated 
with thousands of sanpopa ants - 
known to Expats as "housecleaning ants".
Seeing literally millions of sanpopas 
move into our compost pile.
Watching them come in thick lines towards our cabina 
day after day to clean our house.
Trying to decide what to do.
Puffing diatomaceous earth powder 
at the advancing columns.
Observing them finding pathways up into our buildings anyway.
Realizing all they do is kidnap or kill all the other bugs 
(and sting like the dickens)
then leave after a couple hours.
Laughing.

Concerned about the mosquitoes multiplying in the John.
Trying to figure out what to do.
Trying dirt then sawdust to absorb the moisture
then Starr's foot fell through the floor 
when trying to sweep up the sawdust.
All while I was rescuing our water line from errant snakes.

Neither of us have ever engaged in a life like this. Sometimes it can seem like a battle, but it's never about achieving a final victory. 

It's about participation. Finding where we fit into the balance, what we can take, and what we can give back. We're living inside this amazing creative vision which continues to evolve every day. 

I had this dream that I was shoveling gravel in my underwear ... 

Stand back and watch it grow.
Gold Hill has been cleared and planted with a variety of trees and bamboo.
We're keeping about 1200 coffee trees in this section.

Over several months our wasps - "avispas" made a meter long mask 
on one of the cedros.
The overlapping annual additions to their nest look like an Indonesian mask.
Since this photo the house cleaning ants - "sanpopas" stole all their eggs and the wasps have departed.

Our cut down coffee trees will season in the sun and rain until next March.
Then it will be ready to make biochar to improve soil fertility for our veggies and trees, or maybe some BBQ. We have dozens of these piles of coffee wood.

Below Banana Hill we left 1400 coffee trees - topped for regrowth.
After adding some organic calcium and "abono" they will begin yielding again in December 2015.

Starr works and supervises closely on all tree planting and maintenance activities.
We learn a lot from Jerico, who is a very experienced 
and knowledgeable in these arts.  We've planted at least 550 trees so far.
A little side benefit is that Starr's Spanish is advancing rapidly.

A beautiful non-venemous resident makes an appearance.

Sunrise over San Isidro and the Valle de El General.

Our workers have expertly trimmed up the banana trees, 
removing old leaf sheaths and unproductive trunks.

Meet Gennar; a whiz at rustic carpentry and electrical work.
Gennar works like a hurricane, and leaves a similar trail of debris behind.

Need your coffee trimmed up or removed? Call Rodo.  
But be sure to tell him where the water line is.

Alvaro's local name is Coneja - Rabbit. Among other tasks, he's making a wonderful series of trails through the lower wilderness section.

 

Just another Fer de Lance. 

Our friend Kim rides over from the next ridge to say howdy.  

Kim invites Gennar to work on a little project at her place.  
Her home is on the hillside behind her head in the foto.

Our "back porch".  
You should have seen it before we "fixed it up".

I noticed that the tree was running away after taking this shot.

Scratched into the cabina wall:
Jezuz is asking God to look after us. How great is that! 

Believe it or not, this plastic roof behind the kitchen/tool shed 
has made all the difference.

Now that some of the property is cleared 
the Roadside Hawk (Buteo magnirostris) has become a resident hunter.

Lately the sunrise clouds have been purple origami ships.

Be it ever so humble ...

Jerico is absolutely on fire about plants. Our professor.

Root crops in the garden. This is camote.

Curcumin plants (tumeric) - eat the roots raw for a daily anti-oxidant hit.

Banana trees reproduce by sprouting "hijos" (babies).

Poor sloth:  electrocuted on the electrical pole. Quiet, affectionate, loved by all.

Silver toenails and soft feet that grip around any tree trunk.

Our new water treatment installation, designed by Guillermo & myself.
The 1st tank takes out the leaves, crabs and snakes, 
the next 2 tanks remove all the sand & silt.

"Amazing biological diversity" leads to oddballs like this guy.

        

Every day that passes, we remind ourselves that we CHOSE this life. 

In spite of challenges, every day that passes we experience life as we never knew possible.

Every day that passes, we're mesmerized by the incredible beauty unfolding at our fingertips.

When you come visit, you'll understand how we feel.